My Longkang

” Daddy, daddy, wake up! We got work to do. It was 7 a.m. and Benghui remembered that we had to paint the gate.” I had forgotten. Obviously he is not afraid of hard work. I wonder whether he will still be the same one day when he has a girl friend. He will probably sneak out of the house when I need him But I will enjoy his help while it is still available.

“Which plant shall we put near the door daddy? My friends are coming. You got the angpows ready? If no money, I got my money daddy. I have RM20.00 .” Almost everything was not flowering except this perennial..orange bougainvillea.

“Daddy, mummy wants us to buy some prawns.” We proceeded to the market where I met some friends and chatted around while Benghui went marketing with mummy.

I found out an elderly man from Rejang Park called a number for an agency to come clean up his house for the new year. He paid RM380.00. Two ladies came, swept and mopped and cleaned the windows. In an hour, they left. He felt cheated.

Another man went to the bus-stop near Wisma Sanyan and picked up 2 guys to help him out with some work also cny related. They demanded RM30.00 each. He gave them. After half an hour they sat down and said the work was too tough. They were paid another RM10.00 each. Worked another 15 minutes and sat down again. Demanded angpows. The man refused to give and they left…they just left. I suppose it is not too late for them to go back to the same bus-stand and do the same scam again.

A guy walking along Jalan Kpg Nyabor met his fate when he was killed by a plank falling down from a scaffolding when he walked under it.

I went home and prepared the house for the new year. We put up a pair of this obligatory plants every year. If not, my in-laws will ask, where izit?

Then, I dusted this ‘basket’ which I use to put oranges and other titbits every year. I haven’t put in the titbits because benghui will end up eating only the titbits and not eating rice. This basket is supposedly older than my grandfather.

Put up lanterns, big ones, small ones, lighted ones, stringed ones, strew a few red cny cushions around and Bengbeng’s kopitiam is open for CNY visiting

This of course, is the finishing touch….a welcoming banner

Kong Hee Fatt Choy